FilmIndia (Feb-Dec 1949)

OUR REVIEW " Ghar Ki Izzat " Is Trash Supreme ! Idiotic and Boring Picture of Daryani This is another of those idiotic stories with reactionary contents which we see so often on the Indian screen. Murli Movietone's " Ghar ki Tzzat " is trash supreme and it is a pity that an educated and experienced writer like Mr. K. S. Daryani has dished out this absurd and idiotic stuff. OLD, OLD MESS The story opens with Chaman (Gope) ironing the suits and saries of the family as the poor son-in-law of the rich family of Seth Chunilal I Dixit) . Chaman does this work with an idiotic song and is soon interrupted by his wife Radhika (Manorama), his father-in-law and his mother-in-law (Gulab) who plays the tiresome old shrew of the family. After a flimsy quarrel. Radhika*s sleepins self-respect is suddenly hurt and taking her husband she walks out of the house to live on their own I iv -weat and labour. They take up to insurance canvassing jointly and are soon shown as doing well. The contrast to this rich life is shown by the introduction of another family of two brothers and a sister — all dreadfully poor. The bis brother, Moti (Jeevan) is unemployed, the little brother Gulab is schooling while Roopa, (Mumtaz Shanti) the sister, is a teacher in a school. After singing an unnecessary song with some national sentiment — the producer illustrating this song needlessly with Gandhiji's funeral shots — Roopa, taking her cue from Subbuluxmi of the South, decides to sing and dance to turn her little school into a high school. Thus taking society's licence to romp about with ticket books in the hand bag and a good cause as an excuse, Roopa meets her waiting lovein Chandra, the son of Seth Chunilal. The usual stage scene with a silly song and an unnecessary dance make Roopa a great social worker and when she asks the audience to loosen their purse strings for a good cause, thev completely misunderstand the cause and taking Roopa for a pro GHAR K I IZZAT Producers: Murli Movietone Language: Hindustani Story : K. S. Daryani Dialogue & S 3ngs: I. C. Kapoor Photography: Kumar Jayawanl Audiography: P. S. Misra Music: Pt. Cobindram Cast : Mumtaz Shanti, Dilip Kumar, Dixit, Manorama. Gope, Jeevan, Gulab, etc. Released At: Imperial, Bombay. Date of Release: 21st January 1949 D irected By RAM DARYANI fessional dancer throw coin and currency on the stage. All this, however, brings Chandra to Roopa's house and Roopa soon forgets everything about the high school and begins cooing with Chandra. After the usual sentimental stuff and traditional obstacles. Roopa and Chandra are married and Roopa is brought to Seth Chunilal's house as the daughter-in-law of the family. Now Chandra's mother (Gulab) goes into action and making Roopa the time-honoured target fires the usual crackers. Chandra, portrayed as a successful lawyer, can't even defend his own wife and ultimately when he finds his wife yielding to the whims of his mother, he walks out of the house to drink and gamble. Overnight he becomes a drunkard and Roopa takes to bed. Radhika. the sister, now gets moving according to plan — and after the usual tussle all are brought to their senses and love and harmony are restored in the family. The story has neither purpose nor intelligence. Daryani wants us to believe that a clever, self-supporting young lawyer allows his beloved wife to be unreasonably tortured by his own uneducated mother to a point of desperation which makes him a gambler and drunkard. We have yet to see young drunkards and gamblers turning a new leaf sudden Recruit Mohan of 10|47 Sonar Chawl, Parel Village Road, Parei, Bombay, is 21, 5'-6" and desires to work on the screen. ly after a minute's lecture by their sisters. WASTE OF GOOD ARTISTES! It is a pity that a set of good artistes is wasted on such worthless story material. Ram Daryani s technique of direction has now become obsolete. Not once does he show any intelligence or imagination in his work. Both sound and photography are indifferent. The music is dreadfully poor throughout and one wonders when the temptation of repeating that tune: "Ghar ghar men divaii " from "Kismet" on the sight of Mumtaz Shanti will disappear from the screen. The dialogue is unnecessarily stagy and fails to appeal. Mumtaz Shanti gives her usual good performance as Roopa and gives a small but graceful dance in addition. Manorama walks about furiously throughout the picture and Gope keeps her company rolling around. With his thick eyebrows and overgrown top, Dilip ' Kumar looks like a little bear escaped from the zoo. He gives the same stereotyped performance as usual. Dixit is the most natural of the whole lot in his portraval of Seth Chunilal. To sum it up, the picture is a boring trash with not a moment of relief. It can neither entertain the filmgoer nor pay the film exhibitor. 53